"You know, you don't have to be the Commander of the Royal Guard, or 'babysit a girl'. Even if that's your father's will", André said slowly, in low voice, as he and Oscar rested on the riverbank. "You can still choose to be woman, if you wish." Oscar stood up abruptly, before the words were out of André's mouth wholly. "I don't want to be woman any more than you do." The voice was quiet, but message still clear. Oscar stalked away, shoulders tight and vibrating literally with anger. How could André think that she'd want to be female?

Oscar was annoyed. The behavior of the princess Marie-Antoinette was not of a noble lady. The last minute annoucement of not changing her dress and following hide-and-seek game as the princess run away from her duties! She was the most willfull woman Oscar had ever met. When Oscar finally turned her back to the french nobles waiting for her, she was still dressed in simple maid's outfit, but her posture was regal and sun made her red-golden hair shine like halo around her head. Oscar couldn't but stare - the foolish princess was like angel ascended from Heavens among the mortals.

The women of French Court were confused about Oscar – and there was good reason, too. Oscar acted and dressed like man, and was indeed the Commander of the Royal Guard, but even then Oscar was female. General de Jarjayes was raised her as his son and heir, and the King Louis XV approved that! Marie-Antoinette listened her ladies-in-waiting as they told all gossips and little tidbits of information they knew about Oscar. Most of them thought Oscar as "dashing" and "handsome", and flirted with her like she'd be another noble-born man. Following their example, so did new crown princess Marie-Antoinette.

As her protector, Oscar's duty was to follow Marie-Antoinette at parties and other social gatherings she was attending. Oscar didn't know if it was pleasant or frustrating task. The Princess often tried to get Oscar talk with guests or to dance with her, but Oscar always excused herself. After a while the Princess started to playfully tease Oscar about not knowing how to dance – even if Oscar told her that the dancing lessons were part of her upbringing, as sword-play or riding were. I'm here with her for duty and not for my pleasure, she had to remind herself.

It has been over a year since Oscar was assinged to be Marie-Antoinette's guard. Oscar realized, that her opinion about willfull princess had changed: she thought her more ofted dignified than stubborn, bright than childish, sensitive than erratic. She had grown up a lot, they both had. But one thing has not changed at all. The crown princess was the most beautiful woman Oscar had ever seen in French Court or anywhere else. In Oscar's thoughts she was the angel from Heavens she had been a year ago, when summer sun has shoned on her red-golden hair, haloing the girl.

Oscar watched from sidelines as the Princess was laughing with the outlandish count. His precense lighted her face like nothing else did. Fersen was his name, and Marie-Antoinette had been favoring him over anyone else in the Court since they had met at Masquerade - where she shouldn't even been. A painful feeling stabbed Oscar every time she saw her Princess and the handsome count together. When she told André, he laughed. "You sound like jealous lover. I couldn't think this day would ever come. Tell me, who is the one you want to rip away from whom, Oscar?"

After Coronation of Louis XVI, count Fersen vanished from the Court. Oscar was feeling content for a while. There had been nasty rumours about soon-to-be Queen and her assumed infidelity with the count. Oscar hoped that the rumours would cease, and her Queen could be at peace. But even if the rumours were forgotten, there was no real happiness for the Queen. Oscar watched as she threw herself into decadent life of the court, full of illegal gambling, luxorious parties - the endless spending of tax-money. And then, abruptly, after four years of absence, count Fersen came back to Versailles.

Oscar didn't know if it was a wonderful thing to see her Queen so radiant again, or was it a nightmare for her, because the delight was caused by him and not her. She didn't hate count Fersen, no. But his presence in the court made Oscar irritated, more that it should have. Loyal André kept on going with his joking, trying to cheer Oscar up. "You should just ask to join them for a night. You'd have both..." She hit him hard for that. She had to defend Queen's honor, even if she dreamed of tarnishing it herself.

Fersen told, that he was going to marry soon. But despite to the approaching marriage, he didn't leave from France. If anything, he visited more and more often at Versailles. Oscar learned to appreciate him, she even called him as her friend. In twisted way the Queen's new bliss with him brought joy to Oscar. And still most smallest things, like every little smile she bestowed upon him, were eating her. But more painful were the rumours, which started in a new volume and didn't cease. She knew something must had to be done, before her Queen would lose all.

"Please, let me be your only partner tonight", Oscar pleaded from Marie-Antoinette, kneeling in front of her. She knew, that if she didn't take some action, the recklessness of Fersen and her Queen would bring the whole court down – there was enough bad talk about the royalty already. If her claiming the Queen for a night would save the situation, she'd do it gladly – it was something she'd dreamed. Silently Marie-Antoinette smiled, and that smile was full of understanding, full of promises. Oscar rose, and led her angel to the dancefloor. "Let me be yours forever."